Kim Gyngell

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Kim Gyngell, sometimes also credited as Kym Gyngell, is an Australian comedian and film, television and stage actor. Gyngell won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1988 for his role as Ian McKenzie in Boulevard of Broken Dreams.

Kim Gyngell^[1] was born in Melbourne, Victoria.^{[citation needed]}

He had not considered a career in acting until his high school English teacher suggested it to him, and he soon went for an audition. He said that he was not a very good student at school.^[2]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Gyngell appeared in The Comedy Company and developed several popular characters, one of whom, Col'n Carpenter, went on to have his own sitcom. Gyngell also appeared (as Carpenter) in a series of public service announcements for the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand.

Gyngell was a regular on Australian comedy series Full Frontal during the mid-1990s, where he starred alongside Eric Bana before Bana attained Hollywood fame. His most notable characters included; 'Leon' (an art critic who used to frequently utter the word 'crap'); and as characters sending up Kerry O'Brien and John Laws. After Full Frontal, Gyngell had guest roles, in comedy programs The Micallef Program and Pizza, and on drama series’ The Secret Life of Us, CrashBurn, Love My Way and Underbelly.

From 2007, Gyngell played Father Harris in the comedy The Librarians.^[3] In 2008, he featured in the comedy series Very Small Business. In 2012, Gyngell played Paddy the accountant in The Straits. More recently he has starred in Top of the Lake, Rake, a second season of Very Small Business, Love Me, Crazy Fun Park, Black Snow (featuring Travis Fimmel), Wakefield, No Activity, and The Artful Dodger.

In 1985, Gyngell starred in Wills & Burke playing William John Wills. In 1988, his role in Boulevard of Broken Dreams, earned him an AFI award for Best Actor. Likewise, his 1990 star turn in Heaven Tonight earned him an AFI nomination. In 2000, he starred in the surprise comedy hit of the year, The Wog Boy. Post-2000, he featured in The Hard Word, Macbeth and Salvation. More recent film appearances include The Little Death and Brothers' Nest.

Gyngell played with various theatre collectives in the 1970s, such as La Mama, The Pram Factory, Hoopla (the predecessor of the Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne) and the Sydney Theatre Company. In 2003, he played Robert in a production of David Auburn's play Proof. In 2008 Gyngell starred in Joanna Murray-Smith Ninety and Molière's The Hypocrite at the Melbourne Theatre Company.^[4] In 2012, he performed in Sydney Theatre Company's production of Pygmalion.

Gyngell has been married twice, and has an adult daughter from his first marriage. He later married Melinda Butel, and has three sons with her, the first of whom was born when he was around 57 years old.^[2]

^[7][8]

In 1972, Greg Ham met Colin Hay via mutual friend Kym Gyngell. In 1979, Ham joined the original lineup of Men at Work with Hay, Ron Strykert, and Jerry Speiser.[3] Ham and Hay formed the core of the band from 1979 until 1985 when Ham left, and the band broke up shortly afterward. Ham returned to Men at Work when they reformed in 1996 to tour the United States.[4] Gyngell played keyboards in the Melbourne band Le Club Foote, who released their only album Cinema Qua in 1984, along with a couple of singles. The album was produced by Colin Hay of the band Men at Work.^[9]

• Kym Gyngell at IMDb
• Kym Gyngell family tree
• "Profile – Kim Gyngell" by Amanda Zachariah, Geelong Advertiser (26 September 2008)
• "The Hypocrite – Melbourne Theatre Company" by Carol Middleton, Australian Stage Online (14 November 2008)